


Stone by Stone

by GloriousPirateAlpaca



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Cottage Gays, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Just Add Kittens, M/M, Mentioned Character Death, Natural Disasters, References to nuclear war, Storms, floods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:49:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25803148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GloriousPirateAlpaca/pseuds/GloriousPirateAlpaca
Summary: “What the fuck is that?” Kurogane asked when Fai came within earshot. Looking up from the thing in his arms, Fai grinned. Carefully, he lifted it up.“A kitten!”Kurogane blinked. The kitten blinked back, yawning. Blue eyes not unlike Fai’s gave him a curious look. It was covered in mud and dirt; under it all, it looked to be white. A tiny pink tongue darted out to lick its nose.“Fuck no.”
Relationships: Fay D. Fluorite/Kurogane
Comments: 14
Kudos: 36
Collections: 2020 KuroFai Olympics - Fluff vs Angst





	Stone by Stone

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first time participating in the Kurofai Olympics and it’s been a blast! Much love towards the mods for hosting it, and to everyone else who participated. Especially everyone on Team Fluff, who have been super sweet and encouraging, and saved me from my own grammar
> 
> Also lots of kudos to my dear Fela who isn’t even in this fandom, but still urged me to sign up for this and then listened to me yelling about it the whole summer lol. Love you! (Also, credit to her for naming the horses)
> 
> (Title from the song After The Fire from Carole and Tuesday)

Kurogane hated the town square. He disliked the city as a whole, but this particular part was too bright, too open. In itself, the scenery made for a stunning picture. The sun shone down where the town square had been, making plants grown in abundance. It made it difficult to tell what lurked in the shadows between the old buildings. Telling what was hiding in the grass was impossible. The old town square gave the impression of friendliness, while in reality, it was the most treacherous and dangerous part of the city.

Clementine’s hoof hit a patch of uncovered pavement. It sent an echo across the square. Kurogane tensed up, scanning the surroundings for movement. The town square was quiet and still around them. Even so, he urged Clementine forward, making sure she only stepped on the grass and vegetation. He was glad when they were out of the town square.

It was an even bigger relief to be out of the town. The eerie, haunted feeling it gave off always made him uneasy. Kurogane wasn’t one to believe in ghosts, but the town gave off the feeling something might suddenly materialise out of the shadows. As if someone was watching, preying, from the shadows. It wasn’t that big of a stretch; there were still people living in the ruins of the houses. Most were outcasts and criminals who had been kicked out of their communities. Some were sick people, leaving their communities voluntarily to avoid mass death.

The open fields and soft country road were a welcome change. He gave Clementine some slack in the reins, and she shook the stiffness out of her head. He kept an eye out on the fields all the same. Sometimes thieves tried their hand at people outside of the city as well.

No one was outside of the farms he passed. A few of them had smoke coming out of their chimneys, but aside from the birds and the sound of Clementine’s steps on the gravel, it was quiet. Most would have returned to their homes by now, making sure to get home before nightfall.

Kurogane’s house showed up on the horizon. No smoke was coming out of its chimney yet. It would soon enough, as soon as he came home with the food. He was tired and cold from being outside all day. Getting home to a warm house and fire would be much welcomed.

There was a lit candle in the window facing the stable. Kurogane was quick to get Clementine ready for the night. He made sure both she and the horse next to her had water and had been fed before leaving for the main house.

“Hey,” he called out as he stepped in. He hadn’t grasped how cold it must have been outside. Even though the stable was warmer than outside, it was nothing compared to the house. The warmth was welcomed.

“Hey,” Fai, chopping something, turned around with a smile when Kurogane stepped out of the hallway. He had a little line of coal on his cheek from stirring the fire. “How did it go?”

Kurogane tossed the package to him, and Fai caught it with ease. “I got it. Not sure why it had to be from that specific lake, but there it is.”

“Thanks!” Fai opened the package, examining the fish. “And I told you, those in the lake here are way too small to eat.”

“Still.” Kurogane sat down by the kitchen table while Fai went to cut up the fish. “Going through the town is always a hassle.”

“Mhm,” Fai agreed, eyes focused on the fish. “Sorry to make you go there.”

“Yeah yeah. It’s fine.” Kurogane waved him off. “It’s just annoying. You hate it much more than I do.”

Fai didn’t answer, except for a small shrug. Kurogane had seen him fillet fish many times by now, and it never stopped fascinating him. Fai worked fast and meticulous; somehow, he only got rid of the parts he needed to get rid of. Whenever Kurogane tried his hands at it, the fish wound up looking more dead than it already was.

Fai told him what he’d been doing on the farm while they ate. The drought had killed several of their crops. They’d expected it; the unstable climate killed crops like flies every summer. If it wasn’t the drought, it was the heavy rain. If it wasn’t starved animals, it was early autumn storms.

“Touya stopped by,” Fai said, words slightly muffled by the food. “Wants to try and lead water from the old dam down into the underground lake or directly out on the fields.” He looked uneasy, frowning. “Said its foundation is becoming unstable.”

“No surprise,” Kurogane muttered, trying to stab an escaping potato. “It’s as old as the town. What the hell is he going to use though?”

Fai shrugged. “No clue. I figured he’d check with Sumeragi and maybe Arisugawa if they have anything.” The uneasy look was gone. “It would be good for the crops.”

Kurogane nodded, catching the potato before it flew off his plate. Fai had the decency to hide his laughter with a terrible fake cough.

“Anyway,” he said, laughter evident in his voice. “The stable door almost fell off when I opened it. It might need a little touch-up.”

They did the dishes together, debating the best approach for the door. Fai used some leftover boiled water to make tea, and they sat down in front of the fire. Fai spread out on the tiny couch and pretended to be too absorbed in his book to hear Kurogane’s complaining. Admitting defeat, Kurogane sat down in front of the fire and let the flames warm him. It was getting darker outside. Soon, the only thing lighting up the kitchen and small space they called the living room was the fire. How Fai could read in the dim light was a mystery to Kurogane. He went to sleep first, calling to Fai to put the fire out. He got a distracted wave in response.

~~~

Kurogane woke up shivering. Grumbling, he sat up and glared towards the window; it was open. He threw the blanket off himself and got up to close it. The floor was freezing under his feet. Outside the window, the sun still hadn’t risen. A small streak of light at the horizon hinted it was about to. Kurogane rubbed the tiredness from his eyes, grabbed a sweater thrown over a chair, and went out into the kitchen.

He boiled water to make tea and did his best to convince himself he wasn’t committing a crime as he poured sugar into Fai’s cup. He dug out bread from the cupboard and went into the pantry to find cheese. They’d have to trade themselves some more soon. Subaru and his sister further along the road usually wanted to trade cheese for fish or rabbit.

The sun was well up in the sky by the time he’d gotten everything set up. Kurogane glanced towards Fai’s room and sighed, putting down his cup. One day he might wake up by himself. Kurogane didn’t bother to knock; it never woke Fai anyway. Fai’s room was bathing in sunlight. Kurogane would have woken up by the brightness long ago. Fai, sleeping face down in the pillow, was snoring softly.

Kurogane kicked the bed. Fai only made a disapproving sound, not even looking up. Kurogane kicked the bed again, harder.

“Get up.”

The pillow muffled Fai’s groan. “No…”

“Yes.” Kurogane kicked his bed for the third time. Fai whined. “It’s late. Get up.”

“You’re so mean,” Fai complained. “Please don’t kick the bed again,” he added quickly. He pushed himself up to sit on his knees. “See, I’m awake.”

“So get out of bed.”

“Mean.” Fai stuck his tongue out, pushing tousled hair out of his face. “Like I’ll just fall back asleep.”

Kurogane rolled his eyes. “That’s exactly what will happen. Now get up.”

“Yes, yes. Now get out of my room so I can get dressed.” He grinned at Kurogane, who threw a nearby blanket in his face. Shutting the door, he heard Fai’s muffled laughter and rolled his eyes.

Still, he was glad to have Fai there. He breathed much-needed life into the house and farm. Before Fai moved in, it had been many years since Kurogane thought of the farm as his home rather than his house. Having another person close made a huge difference. Even in the beginning, when Fai only stayed to let his horse heal, and got on Kurogane’s nerves immensely, it had been nice. The house hadn’t been quiet since Fai had stepped through the doors. No matter how much Kurogane longed for him to shut up at times, it beat constant silence many times over.

Fai yawned when he stepped into the room. His hair stood in spikes in every direction. Grabbing the mug Kurogane handed him, he all but downed it in one go. Kurogane raised an eyebrow at him, sipping his own tea. Fai looked back, looking much more awake already. Sometimes Kurogane wondered if he was a machine powered by sugar, rather than a human.

Fai looked like he was about to say something, perhaps teasing Kurogane for staring. His eyes sparkled, and the smallest smile pulled at his mouth like it always did when he was about to say something provoking. Kurogane broke eye contact, emptying his mug in one go to create a barrier between himself and Fai. He choked on sour tea leaves. Fai laughed and calmly drank the rest of his tea when Kurogane glared at him. He shot him a smug look over the rim of his cup.

“So the stable door,” Kurogane said. The look on Fai’s face made it clear he found the awkward change of subject amusing, but he dropped it.

“The stable door,” he nodded. “We’ll fix that before it gets too warm and then fix the things inside the stable after?”

Fixing the stable door turned out to be a bigger project than they’d thought. What had appeared to be a simple matter of securing it had turned out to involve several loose screws and a rotten horizontal plank. They worked in silence, trying to remove the rotten plank without making the whole door collapse.

One of the things Kurogane liked the most about having Fai around was how adaptable he was. He was intelligent. Give him a task and Fai would figure out how to do it within minutes. One of the first days, when he was still just saying as a guest, he’d figured out how to make the broken water pump work. Kurogane appreciated having someone around he could count on.

What he did not appreciate was Fai’s attention span.

The rotten plank was long gone from the door. It wobbled when touched but with a couple of uneven planks leaned against it; it seemed to stabilise. Kurogane had dug out a spare plank, trying to saw it to fit the door. It was already too hot to be outside working, but to let the door fall apart was not an option.

Fai had taken to half-laying on a log by the stable door, humming to himself. Kurogane stopped sawing to glare at him. Fai sat up, grinning. “Good work, Kuro-sama.”

Kurogane pointed the saw at Fai. “And why are you just sitting there?”

“Well,” Fai kicked his legs, “this part seems a better fit for you. The handier of us.” He shielded his eyes from the sun as he spoke. The light hitting his head created an illusion of a halo around his head. He’d tell Fai to stop sitting there looking pretty if he wasn’t too warm to handle getting teased about saying Fai was pretty.

“That’s a lie, and you know it. You’re just as good at this as I am.”

Fai hummed, and Kurogane couldn’t tell if it was in agreement or not. “Perhaps. But it’s more fun to watch you work.”

“You’re just lazy,” Kurogane told him, and Fai grinned. He shrugged, which was the closest of a confirmation Kurogane would get from him. “If you’re just going to sit there, at least fix that broken bridle.”

Fai looked like he was about to protest, but then jumped down from the log and disappeared into the stable. He returned, clutching the bridle to his chest. “Your horse looked like she was going to eat me when I grabbed this.”

Kurogane didn’t bother to look up from his work. “Horses aren’t carnivores.”

“Tell Clementine that. I still think that’s a misleading name by the way,” Fai argued as he sorted out the tangled leather bands on the bridle. “Absolutely no offence to your mother, I’m sure she had the best intentions when naming her. But you hear the name and think, oh what a sweet little pony she must be. But oh no, the horse is taller than the average human and could probably kill you if she stomped on you.”

Kurogane snorted. “You know she wouldn’t hurt a fly.” The plank finally broke in two. He held it up against the door; he’d sawn it a little too short, but it would have to do.

“Her hooves are literally bigger than my face.” He sounded like a child. Kurogane had to bite back a smile.

“True. Help me with this.”

Fai threw the bridle aside and grabbed the plank Kurogane held out. He held it up while Kurogane nailed it to the door. He wasn’t too surprised when Fai declared they most certainly deserved a break now and without waiting for a response, laid down the log again.

~~~

A branch almost got caught in Kurogane’s jacket as he tried to push it aside. Muttering quiet curses under his breath, he tore off some leaves that did get stuck on it. Clementine snorted disapprovingly when she stumbled on a root. Getting around the woods on horseback was a hassle; some parts were so thick in vegetation that it was impossible to ride a horse through them. At the same time, they couldn’t leave them behind. Outside the woods, a stray horse was up for grabs for any thief. Inside, they were free meals for coywolves and the bears sometimes appearing in the area.

They kept their eyes out even when riding. The summer had been particularly harsh this year. Many of the smaller animals had succumbed to the heat, and their predators were growing increasingly desperate. Animals usually staying clear of humans and farms got closer and closer by the day.

They rode in silence, constantly on the lookout for both predators and prey. Every now and then, Kurogane couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Fai. There was something hypnotic about him here, out in the woods hunting. Fai was always beautiful; Kurogane would have been both dumb and ignorant not to see it. The woods amplified it. His eyes sparkled when tracking and focusing on a target, and his movements were as smooth as water. They’d been hunting many times over the past months, and Kurogane still had trouble taking his eyes off Fai at times. He was simply breathtaking to watch. He could always blame his stares on Fai being better with a bow. Much better, Kurogane had to admit. It didn’t matter how small or far away the target was; Fai would hit it. His accuracy with a bow was almost terrifying at times.

Fai tightened the bowstring without as much as a sound. Aside from moving the bow ever so slightly, he sat completely still. His eyes, sparkling as they did, were locked on the target. Then he loosed the arrow. In the quiet woods, the sound of it was almost deafening. Still, the rabbit didn’t have a chance to move.

Turning to Kurogane, Fai put up a bright smile again, throwing the bow over his shoulder in a lazy motion. “Get that for me, would you Kuro-tan?”

They were almost out of the woods when Fai stopped, staring into the woods. Kurogane was about to ask what he’d heard, but Fai held up a hand to silence him. Without a sound, Fai slipped down from Felicity and handed Kurogane the reins. He disappeared into the woods. Felicity snorted, stepping around and Kurogane tried to calm her by stroking her fur.

Fai emerged from the woods, cradling something in his arms. The thing moved around in his arms, showing dark fur. Fai leaned his head down to mumble something to the thing.

“What the fuck is that?” Kurogane asked when Fai came within earshot. Looking up from the thing in his arms, Fai grinned. Carefully, he lifted it up.

“A kitten!”

Kurogane blinked. The kitten blinked back, yawning. Blue eyes not unlike Fai’s gave him a curious look. It was covered in mud and dirt; under it all, it looked to be white. A tiny pink tongue darted out to lick its nose.

“Fuck no.”

Fai gasped and clutched the kitten to his chest. It squeaked in protest, and he loosened his grip. Fai fixed Kurogane with a look that promised Kurogane wouldn’t win this argument. 

“Kuro-sama! How dare you? Look at her! She’s so small, long away from her mother, and maybe even hurt.” He lifted the kitten up again to force Kurogane to look into its eyes. “You want to doom this poor kitten to death? That’s cruel, Kuro-pon!”

Kurogane sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. The kitten meowed. “Fine,” he sighed and heard Fai cheer. “But we’re not keeping it. As soon as it’s okay, we’re taking it to Clow farm.”

He didn’t need to look at Fai to know he was pouting. “We can’t keep it,” Kurogane told him, looking down to find Fai looking up at him with comically large puppy eyes. “We can’t take care of a kitten.” Fai looked like he wanted to say something, but shrugged.

“Fine. Here, hold her while I get back up.” Fai trusted the kitten into Kurogane’s arms before he could protest. It looked up at him with sparkling eyes. He did his best to glare at it; it blinked and licked its nose again, unaffected. Fai, back on his horse, leaned over and took it from Kurogane’s arms. He held it in one hand and the reins in the other.

“What should we call you?” He cooed down to the kitten and only grinned when Kurogane told him not to name the damn thing. “But she needs a name, Kuro-sama. Don’t you?” He asked the kitten, and Kurogane rolled his eyes. The ride home felt longer than usual. Fai spent the whole thing talking to the kitten as if it was a baby.

As soon as they came back to the farm, Fai disappeared into the house to take care of the kitten. Kurogane stood alone with the horses. Sighing, he led them both into the stable and took off the riding equipment. He checked Felicity’s leg; to his relief, it wasn’t warm. There had been a time, when Fai was staying temporarily as her leg healed when Kurogane would have been secretly happy to find the leg warm. He felt bad about it now, wishing sickness on a horse for his own selfish reason of not wanting Fai to leave. He gave Felicity an extra sugar cube before leaving.

When he came into the house, Fai had finished bathing the kitten. It was bright white, a stark contrast to the previous colour.

“Look at her,” Fai grinned when Kurogane sat down in front of the couch. He scratched it behind the ear, making it purr louder and buff against Fai’s hand. “She’s so cute!”

“Sure,” Kurogane said, for the lack of anything better to say. Fai’s eyes sparkled when he looked at the kitten. He had never looked this happy all the time Kurogane had known him. It looked as if something came to life behind his eyes when he looked at the kitten.

“How about Mokona?”

“What?” Kurogane blinked, realising he’d been staring. Fai didn’t seem like he’d noticed, continuing to pet the kitten.

“Her name,” Fai clarified. “How about Mokona?”

Kurogane shrugged. “Sure.”

Mokona meowed, and Fai laughed. “She likes it.”

“We’re not keeping her.”

Fai looked up, pouting. “Come on, Kuro-tan.”

“I told you, we can’t keep a kitten. She’ll have a much better life with the people on Clow farm.”

Doing his best to look like a sad puppy, Fai held up Mokona towards Kurogane. Blue, curious eyes stared right into Kurogane’s own. And okay, fine, Kurogane had to admit she was a bit cute. Especially when she tilted her head a little, looking at him with thoughtful and curious eyes. Maybe more than a little cute. Still, he pried his eyes away from her and glared at Fai. Fai looked back, eyes coming close to matching Mokona’s.

“I guess we can’t go now anyway,” he sighed. Fai cheered, bringing the kitten closer to himself again. “But-” Kurogane continued, fixing Fai with the most serious look he could muster at the moment “-this is not going to be a permanent thing.”

“Mhm,” Fai nodded. He shot a smug glance in Kurogane’s direction. Kurogane didn’t need to know Fai to know what he was thinking.

_ We’ll see about that. _

~~~

Fai convinced him Mokona needed at least a few days to rest. She’d need time to sleep and eat properly, Fai argued, and Kurogane wasn’t going to kick the poor kitten out right away. She seemed curious about their house, jumping around to search every corner. Wherever Kurogane went, she’d pop up in his peripheral vision. Playing with a piece of yarn left on the floor or chasing flies around the kitchen. She seemed to appreciate the big open space in the kitchen.

She seemed a bit more cautious to approach them, however. Quite content at playing by herself a few feet away, she kept them under surveillance but never approached them. She seemed a little more at ease with Fai; perhaps because he looked less threatening, or simply because he was the one who had found her. Either way, she wasn’t as quick to run away when he approached her.

They found an old box that they opted to use for a litterbox of sorts. Fai claimed to have heard that kittens could drink goat milk, and she didn’t seem to die from it straight away at least, so they figured it was a good enough option for now.

When they had dinner, she sat a little bit away, eyeing them carefully. Fai tried to bribe her to come closer by offering her some of his food. She looked at it and seemed to weigh the outcomes. In the end, she shuffled a little closer but stayed at a safe distance from them. When Kurogane went to sleep, she was sitting next to the couch, playing with a strand of yarn while Fai pretended to read a book, watching her over the top of it.

~~~

The next day it rained so heavily they couldn’t see the town from their house. Mokona hated it. As soon as the first few drops hit their roof, she scurried down from her place next to Fai on the couch and underneath it. No matter how much Fai bribed her with food or toys she refused to move.

“Poor girl,” Fai muttered as he rose from his knees. “Probably terrified of the rain after living outside.” He stared out the window with a sour look on his face. When he noticed Kurogane watching him, he spun around, tilting his head to the side in question. The grin suggested Kurogane not ask.

“Put some food under the couch for her,” Kurogane suggested instead, watching Fai break into a grin not unlike that of a madman.

“Aw,” he cooed, winking at Kurogane from a safe distance. “So you  _ do _ care. How fatherly of you.”

Kurogane could feel his brain cells dying. “I swear to God, I’ll-” He made a grab at Fai, who waltzed out of range with ease. “Who exactly are you calling a father? She’s a fucking kitten. Do not-” he glared at Fai “-insinuate anything weird about that.” Fai’s grin told him that was exactly what he’d planned.

Mokona didn’t come out from beneath the couch until midnight when the rain finally stopped. Fai scooped her up, petting her and cooing about what a brave kitten she was for surviving the weather outside. Kurogane rolled his eyes but scratched her behind her ears anyway.

Fai still argued they couldn’t take her to the farm the day after. The road was muddy and slippery, and the dark clouds threatened more rain. Kurogane gave in without arguing. Mokona looked sceptical when they went out to the stable, turning to nap on the couch instead. Kurogane couldn’t say he blamed her.

The door was in acceptable shape now; it made the rest of the stable look like a ruin. It hadn’t been repaired or renovated since Kurogane moved here, over eight years ago. To say that the thing was all but falling apart after many years in the unstable climate was an understatement.

The roof, in particular, was in terrible shape. Water was dripping down in the hay they kept on the loft. The roof in itself was too slippery to work on, so all they could do was to fix the most obvious holes from the inside. It was tiring work, standing on ladders and working with their arms high above their heads. They called it a day earlier than usual, hoping to at least have covered some holes in the ceiling.

Fai slipped and fell on the way inside. Kurogane was too busy laughing to notice Fai moving to throw a handful of mud at him. His futile attempts to avoid it only made him lose his balance too. Fai laughed so hard he cried and was rewarded with a handful of mud in his face. Mokona looked equal parts horrified and judgemental when they came inside.

Mokona came up to him when he was sitting at the table reading. She buffed her head against his hand. He gave her a quick scratch behind her ear and went back to reading. Mokona was not having it. She promptly draped herself over his book, looking up at him with eyes daring him to move her.

Kurogane sighed and gently lifted her away from the book. She squealed and wiggled, laying right back down on the book when he let her go.

“Bloody cat,” Kurogane muttered. She blinked at him, stretching to make herself comfortable on the book. Kurogane knew when he was defeated. “You’re just like the idiot.” He sighed, scratching her behind her ear. She purred, nuzzling against his hand.

Fai smiled when he stepped into the kitchen and saw Mokona playing with the hem of Kurogane’s sleeve at the table. His hair was still wet, hanging down into his face. Not saying anything, he sat down at the table and raised an eyebrow at Kurogane.

“Alright, alright,” Kurogane waved, untangling Mokona’s claw from his sleeve. “No Clow farm.” Fai cheered, loud enough to make Mokona jump. Kurogane bit back a smile as he tried to soothe her.

~~~

Kurogane was surprised by how quickly he adapted to having Mokona in the house. Waking up to a purring ball of fur on his arm or chest became routine. She stayed up to play with Fai when Kurogane went to sleep and slipped into his room to sleep sometime during the night.

Kurogane wasn’t one to sleep in, but even if he had been, Mokona wouldn’t have let him. As soon as the sun came up, she’d start to stir. Pretending to be asleep didn’t work; she’d jump on his chest and meow, demand that he’d get up. She’d trip around his legs, almost making him fall over several times on the short walk to the kitchen. Eventually he gave up, picking her up right from the start to carry her.

While he got breakfast ready, Mokona would chase the specks of light dancing from the mobile of coloured plastic shards hanging in the window. Those days he had to wake up Fai, she’d tag along, giving Fai the same treatment of jumping on his chest. Eventually, she’d learnt Kurogane’s morning routine well enough to jump away to wake Fai up as soon as Kurogane was done with the breakfast.

And she loved to play. Fai’s laughter rang in the house as he let Mokona chase a piece of paper he’s tied to a piece of yarn. Kurogane watched them from the kitchen table, pretending to read a comic. It was almost impossible to read anyway; the pages were yellow and fragile, and the ink fading. The date put it ten years before the wars. Kurogane’s father had managed to store it relatively protected, but not even the best protection could have kept it in proper shape for close to sixty years. Not that it mattered. Kurogane had read it many times since he was a kid. He could recite the lines in his sleep.

Mokona grew bored of chasing the toy, jumping over towards Kurogane. She jumped up on the table via Fai’s empty chair, once again laying down on top of what Kurogane was reading.

“Oh come on,” Kurogane muttered, despite not having turned a page in the last five minutes.

“She wants to read with her daddy.”

Kurogane turned to glare at Fai. “Again with the fucking daddy thing?” He wasn’t sure why he expected a different answer than silence and a grin.

“She looks cosy.” Fai’s voice softened, and he leaned over Kurogane’s shoulder to pet Mokona. His hair was getting long. It fell in front of his face when he leaned forward. Kurogane had to resist the impulse to push it away and tuck it behind his ear. “I hope she gets a better life here.”

His voice sounded strange, out of it. Before Kurogane could ask anything, Fai turned his head with such speed his hair almost hit Kurogane in the face.

“Are you hungry? I’m hungry. I’ll make dinner.” He waltzed away toward the pantry, fake whistling as he went. Kurogane stared after him, but Fai kept his back away from him all the time he cooked. Mokona’s paw hit Kurogane’s hand, forcing him to tear his eyes off Fai. She looked up at him with bright eyes and nudged his hand again. He answered her demand for pets, listening to Fai humming a little too loud.

~~~

Mokona meowed impatiently, hitting the empty bowl with her paw.

“Yes, yes, I get it,” Kurogane muttered from inside the pantry. He hit a glass jar with his elbow and barely caught it before it hit the floor. Sighing, he put it back up. They had a lot of stuff in their pantry; goat milk was not one of them.

“Hey,” he called out. “Are we out of goat milk?”

“No clue,” Fai called back. He stuck his head into the pantry. “If we don’t have any here, probably. Did you check behind the beets?”

“The…” Kurogane spun around. “Where is that?”

Fai laughed as he gently pushed Kurogane to the side to squeeze himself into the pantry. “Here,” he said, reaching behind Kurogane to push some boxes aside. Kurogane tried his best to step out of Fai’s way when he searched around, but the pantry was small for one person to stand in. Fai ended up pressed against Kurogane searching for the milk. Ignoring the close proximity proved easier than Kurogane had thought, because Fai kept elbowing him.

“Ouch,” he hissed when Fai elbow hit him in the ribs. “Can’t you be more careful?”

“What?” Fai looked up and hit his head on a shelf. “Ouch.” Kurogane had to bite his lip not to laugh. Fai rubbed his head, messing up his hair. He looked back again to the shelf he’d been searching and reached in. Kurogane had to catch a falling jar again.

“Tada!” Fai smiled triumphantly, waving the bottle in front of Kurogane’s face. “Got it.” He squeezed himself out of the pantry, calling Mokona as he did so. Kurogane was both disappointed and relieved when the warmth of Fai’s body disappeared.

“We should probably get some more.”

Fai nodded in agreement, filling Mokona’s bowl.

“I could go down to Clow,” Kurogane offered, leaning on the doorpost to the pantry. “Trade bread for milk or something.”

“Sounds good. I’ll stay here and uh…” Fai made a vague gesture towards the kitchen. “Clean.”

“So you’ll play with Mokona and sleep on the couch.”

With an overly dramatic gasp, Fai draped himself over Kurogane’s arm. “How  _ dare _ you suggest I’d  _ ever  _ do that?”

“I sure wonder,” Kurogane replied dryly. Fai laughed, pushing himself off Kurogane to pick up Mokona.

“We’ll be good and do our housework, right, Moko-chan?” Fai cooed, and Kurogane had to roll his eyes. “So everything will be nice and clean-” Fai shot Kurogane a smug look “-when daddy comes home.”

“I fucking hate you.”

~~~

“Here you go,” Yukito smiled as he handed him the milk. The rain rattled like bullets on the metal ceiling above them. “Say hi to Fai for me.”

“Will do. Thanks for the milk.” Kurogane glanced out into the rain, pondering the best way to get to Felicity without getting soaked. She was outside the stable, Kurogane and Yukito were by the goathouse on the other end of the farmyard. Not that it mattered, he realised with a grimace; he’d get soaked on the way home anyway. Yukito looked as if he was about to invite Kurogane to stay until the rain stopped when the sound of a door being slammed open made them both spin around.

Sakura stumbled down the stairs to the house, regaining her balance just before falling on the last step. Yukito giggled, and Touya yelled at her from inside the house to take it easy. She rushed over to them, tripping over lazily tied shoes.

“Hello, Kurogane. Are you here for more milk?” She brushed water out of her hair with her hands.

“Yeah.” He lifted the milk to show her. “Kittens eat a lot.”

Sakura smiled brightly. “They sure do! I remember that from when Kero was a kitten.” She looked over towards the house, where the cat sat in the window, glaring out into the heavy rain. “You have to take Mokona down here someday.”

“Will do,” he promised her and her smile, if possible, became even brighter. It dropped as she turned to Yukito.

“Yukito, please talk sense into my brother. I keep telling him; we should go to the house further up. I have a bad feeling.”

Kurogane blinked, confused, and was about to ask what she meant when Yukito spoke up.

“What do you mean, Sakura?”

“I…” She had a grim look on her face, pushing away her wet fringe from her frown. “I’m not sure… It’s the rain. It’s giving me a bad feeling.”

Yukito had a strange look on his face. He looked conflicted as to if he couldn’t decide whether to calm Sakura or believe her. Sakura had a pleading look in her eyes, bordering on desperate. It left a sour taste in Kurogane’s mouth. Sakura’s hunches had been right before. Yukito liked to joke that she was like a human weather station; she always knew when drought or rain would hit. Her eyes widened.

“What if…” She began, hesitating. “What if it’s the dam? Brother never got the water drained and this amount of heavy rain…”

Kurogane’s heart skipped a beat, breath catching in his thoat. The amount of water in the dam was more than enough to sweep the town away. The farms were a little bit up on the hill, but with such an amount of water... The three stared at each other, eyes wide. Sakura was the first to collect herself.

“I’ll tell brother,” she said, spinning around to rush back into the house. Water splashed around her feet as she ran.

“Come with us,” Yukito turned to Kurogane, a deep frown on his face. “We’ll go to our house further up, by the sheep. This house should be far enough not to be swept away entirely, but it might get flooded.”

Kurogane shook his head. “I have to get back. Our house is much further away and up the hill than yours; I think we’ll be fine.” He had to get back to Fai.

Yukito looked like he wanted to protest. He looked at Kurogane with a grim face, trying to decide whether he should take the fight or not. He sighed and gave Kurogane a quick nod.

“I get it. Be careful!” He called after Kurogane when he rushed out in the rain. Kurogane spun to give a quick wave and almost slipped on the already muddy ground.

“Shit,” he muttered. He’d have to ride fast to avoid the flood, but with this ground, he might not be able to. Felicity strained on the reins, doing everything to resist going out in the harsh rain.

“Come on, girl, it’s only water.” It didn’t work. She pulled harder on the reins. Kurogane was about to pull just as hard back on them, but stopped. He took a breath, relaxing his body. Taking the far end of the reins, he stepped out in the rain himself.

“Look, it’s not dangerous. Here-” he dug into his pocket, finding a half dissolved sugar cube. He prayed it would work. “Come now, girl.”

Felicity had stopped pulling the reins. She stared at him, down at the sugar cube, and back up at him again. Despite his heart threatening to beat out of his chest, and the flight response screaming at the back of his head, he did everything he could to look calm and approachable. Tentatively, the horse took a step out.

“There we go,” he sighed in relief when she got close enough to get the cube. Moving slow not to scare her again, he moved to get up on her. She looked at him, cautious, but allowed him up. The ground didn’t allow for galloping, but he urged her on as much as he dared, riding out from the farm.

He was well up on the hill when he heard the roar from the water. Stopping, he turned to watch the water from the dam rush out. It hit the houses in the town with such force they looked to simply vanish. He turned his gaze to Clow farm. It hadn’t been swept away in the initial wave, thank god. Looking back to where the town once had been, he shuddered; if he’d been down there…

Felicity began pulling on the reins again, refusing to stand still in the rain. He turned around again, riding away as fast as possible on the slippery ground.

The rain fell heavier and heavier. In the distance, lightning flashed. Kurogane urged Felicity forward again. She neighed, pulling on the reins. Still, he urged her on, hoping she’d forgive him once they both were inside.

The farm finally appeared, far away in front of him. The rain made it harder and harder to see; he prayed Felicity wouldn’t slip on something on the ground. She was much faster than Clementine but less steady.

Finally back on their own farmyard, his legs almost gave out under him when he jumped off Felicity. They were stiff from the cold, and his clothes were heavy from the rain. Forcing them to carry him, he led Felicity to the stable as fast as he could, running over the yard.

He pried the door open with stiff fingers and urged her inside. The door slammed shut behind him, and the rain became a soft noise in the background. He turned and met Fai’s eyes staring at him a few meters away. Fai was always pale, but his face had a sickening shade of green to it. The candle on the floor cast a strange light over him; he looked to be shaking.

“You’re alive.” He sounded like he didn’t believe it; as if Kurogane was a ghost, rather than a human. “Oh, thank god, you’re alive.” He let out a short, breathless laugh. It sounded like he said something else, but he rubbed his hands over his face as he spoke, muffling the sound.

“Yeah,” Kurogane said, for the lack of anything better to say. Felicity snorted, pulling on the reins. “Sorry.” Kurogane wasn’t sure if he directed it more to Fai or Felicity. He stripped her of the equipment as fast as he could, letting her into her box as soon as she was dry. Fai stayed silent, watching him.

It wasn’t until he was done that he realised Fai was holding Clementine’s bridle. “Were you…” He motioned towards the bridle.

“Going to look for you,” Fai finished. “Yeah.” He looked at the bridle, weighing it in his hand as if he didn’t know what to do with it. His gaze was unfocused, as if he didn’t actually see the bridle.

“I’m sorry,” Kurogane sighed. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Fai looked up slowly and blinked as if trying to break himself out of a trance. Something changed in his eyes. They began to focus properly, but they looked too focused. Staring a little too wide at Kurogane.

“Oh no, I know you didn’t, Kuro-puppy.” Maybe Kurogane had been out in the rain too long and was hallucinating. Fai’s voice sounded a little unnatural, higher-pitched than it usually was. Fai turned away from him, putting all his attention on Felicity.

“And how did you do? Did you manage without any injuries?”

Fai cooed and cuddled. Kurogane suppresses the urge to roll his eyes and say something sarcastic. Fai was tired, stressed out of his mind. Maybe this was his way of coping, fuck if Kurogane knew. Everything in Fai’s body language, turning away, shoulders up, signalled Fai did not want Kurogane near. Still, he had an overwhelming urge to go over and hug Fai.

“I’m going inside,” he said instead. Fai finally looked back at him, face unreadable.

“Good idea, Kuro-pii,” he smiled. There’s still warm water. You should warm up.” He turned away again. “I’ll check up on Felicity. I’ll come in after that.”

Kurogane stared at him. When Fai didn’t turn, he gave in, leaving the stable.

Fai didn’t come in until much later. Kurogane had already gone to bed, but he forced himself to stay awake until he heard the front door open and shut. The uneasy feelings stayed with him as he fell asleep.

~~~

“Go wake up Fai,” Kurogane told Mokona, before remembering she was not a dog. Still, she jumped away towards Fai’s room, and Kurogane chuckled to himself. Sure enough, Fai appeared in the kitchen minutes later, Mokona perched on his shoulder like a pirate’s parrot.

“Good morning Kuro-pon,” he said cheerfully, humming to himself as he reached for his mug. Tasting it, he grimaced. “Pass me the sugar?”

Kurogane rolled his eyes but obliged. Their hands brushed together when he pushed the sugar over the table. Fai flinched away.

Fai laughed. It sounded forced. “Your hands are so cold!”

“Sorry,” Kurogane muttered, looking down into his own mug. He glanced over the rim at Fai. His smile was just a little too wide. It left a sour taste in Kurogane’s mouth. Fai hummed to himself, petting Mokona. He looked everywhere but at Kurogane.

“So,” Fai began, eyes still focused on Mokona. She was gnawing on his sleeve. “I thought about visiting Clow farm. See how they’re holding up. If they need help with anything.”

“Sure.” Kurogane pushed down the sour feeling the best he could. He watched Fai out of the corner of his eye while Fai put away his plate and mug. “I’ll stay. See if there’s any damage from the rain anywhere.”

“Sounds good.” Fai flashed him another smile, before leaning down to kiss Mokona on the head. “Be a good kitten today, alright?”

“You could take her with you. Sakura wanted to meet her.”

“Nah.” Fai disappeared to get his jacket. “I don’t want her getting lost over there. I’ll see you later.” The front door slammed shut, and Kurogane let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. Mokona meowed, calling his attention down to her. He realised he was still staring at the door. Shaking his head, he forced his gaze away from it and down to the kitten in front of him. Sighing, he scratched her behind her ear.

“Let’s go,” he said, more to himself than anyone else. Mokona meowed in eager response anyway, jumping down from the table. Kurogane allowed himself a chuckle as he watched her jump away towards the door on tiny legs. “Sure, whatever. You can be moral support.”

Mokona seemed more interested in the muddy puddles on the ground than the work in itself. Most of their lawn was covered in grass, camouflaging the puddles. They only became visible when Kurogane stepped in them, leaving deep booth prints. Mokona curiously jabbed her paw at one, jumping away in surprise and disgust to feel it was wet and cold. She shook her paw, displaying that mixture of confusion and curiosity only a kitten can muster. The second puddle was no different. Nor was the third.

“What are you, a dog?” Kurogane asked Mokona when she once again tried to hit a muddy boot print puddle. “You’re smarter than this. This is why Fai shouldn’t be allowed to raise anything. Idiocy is contagious.”

Most of the house had withstood the rain and wind well; the stable hadn’t been quite as lucky. The ceiling to the shed connected to it had let through a significant amount of water and was bulging in worse than before. The stable in itself seemed okay, but the hay on the attic was soaked through. Kurogane cursed the weather many times over as he threw all the hay out; it would rot and be useless in this state. He then checked the damage to the ceiling. It was better off than the shed, and he decided to leave it for later. He almost slipped on the stairs on the way down. Mokona and the horses stared at him in confusion as he threatened to use the stairs as wood for a fire.

Much to Mokona’s delight, he threw several balls of thread from the shed. She forgot her hatred for the mud, rolling around and attacking the threads. Kurogane watched her in amusement as he worked to replace the damaged ceiling. The screws of several of the planks had gotten twisted by the sudden downwards force on the ceiling, and it took him hours to get them out. When everything was finished, it was already late afternoon.

Picking up a once again almost brown Mokona, Kurogane headed back inside. Mokona hissed and wiggled to get out of Kurogane’s grasp as he fought to get the dried mud out of her fur.

“It’s for your own good,” he muttered, combing out the tangles in her fur. Mokona did not seem to agree. She hissed at him when he let her go, settling under the kitchen table to glare at him. Licking her fur, she still looked up to glare at him several times, as if he’d been deliberately hurting her.

Kurogane glanced out the window, frowning at the darkness falling outside. He glanced towards the door. He wished he had a way of contacting Fai. Phones, like their parents and grandparents had before the wars. Hell, he’d take a fucking carrier pigeon.

“He’s fine,” Kurogane said, not sure if he directed it more towards himself or Mokona. The cat in question stared up at him from under the table, offering no form of reassurance. “You want dinner?” He asked her, getting an enthusiastic meow in response. “Oh, now you answer, huh. Whatever. I suppose that’s fair.”

He threw several pieces of fish to her while cooking. They were butchered compared to how Fai would cut them. Mokona didn’t seem to mind, munching away at them happily.

The sound of the door opening made him flinch, almost dropping the spoon in his hand.

“Hey,” Fai called cheerfully from the hallway. Mokona squeaked in excitement and jumped away towards him. “How’s my favourite girl in the world going?” Fai cooed, and Kurogane rolled his eyes.

“Hey,” Fai said again as he slid into the room. “Everyone at Clow farm says hi.”

"How are they doing?"

"Better than you'd expect," Fai said, resting against the counter. Mokona purred in his arms, puffing her head against his chin. “All of them are okay, before you ask.”

Fai spent the entirety of the dinner talking about Clow farm, non-stop. It had sustained less damage than they’d initially thought it would. Their sheep house had been destroyed beyond repair and part of the stable had been damaged. The rest of the houses were fine, as were the animals. Kurogane appreciated the information, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Fai kept talking on purpose. When Kurogane had finished eating, Fai had still barely touched his food.

He was about to ask Fai what was up, leaning forward to break into his monologue. Fai tensed up, speaking even faster.

“Anyway, thanks for the food Kuro-run, but I’m not very hungry. Sorry.” Fai pushed back his chair standing up. It wobbled. “I think I’m going to head to bed, if that’s okay,” he said, already stepping backwards. “Good night.”

Kurogane watched him take off into his room. Mokona started after him too, looking confused. She looked back up at Kurogane, blinking.

“Yeah, I don’t know either.” He lowered his voice enough for Fai not to hear him. “Guess you’re stuck with me for the rest of the night too.”

~~~

Kurogane would be lying if he claimed to be surprised when Fai once again announced that he was heading down to Clow farm the next morning.

“I can come with you,” he offered and wished he’d been surprised when Fai shook his head in response. 

“You should stay here.” He stood and put on his jacket as he spoke, motions swift and hurried. “The roof of the stable needed fixing too, right? Better to not leave Mokona alone either.”

“Do they really need help?”

Fai froze up for a second, almost flinching, before turning back to Kurogane with a big smile plastered on. “Of course, Kuro-pii. Their house is much closer to town.”

“I know. And you hate anything close to town and the dam.” He stared at Fai, daring him to break eye contact. Fai looked taken aback; he fell silent, breaking eye contact while maintaining the smile on his lips.

“I don’t have anything against Clow farm.”

“That’s not what I said,” Kurogane growled, almost pushing his chair over when he stood. “I-”

“Well, you know, I should really get going,” Fai interrupted, turning to walk off as he spoke. “I want to get there today, after all. See you later, Kuro-wan!” The door slammed.

Sighing, Kurogane rubbed his temples. “Great,” he muttered to himself. “That went well.”

Mokona meowed. Kurogane looked up to find her sitting on the other end of the table, blinking at him.

“What?” He could hear the weariness in his own voice. “Do you have a better suggestion for what to say to him?”

Mokona sat in silence and stared at him. Then she jumped down from the table and out of the kitchen.

“Yeah, no, I thought so.”

~~~

To chop up wood wasn’t number one on the list of priorities, but it sure helped to get out all the irritation. The repetitive, physical labour (or maybe just the act of chopping stuff in half) always had an almost therapeutic effect on Kurogane.

He was almost done when Mokona came running, chasing a fleeing butterfly. Kurogane stopped, watching her jumping and grabbing for the poor butterfly. They disappeared in between the rows of beets and potatoes. Kurogane was about to shout at her to come back and not run around in their vegetable plots when they appeared again. The butterfly flew away into the high grass surrounding the house, and Mokona followed suit.

“Hey, don’t go-” Kurogane called for the cat, but she ran on as if she hadn’t heard him. “Oh come on,” he sighed as he secured the axe to the log before running off after her. “Fucking hell, bloody cat.”

He made sure to stomp a little louder than usual when running, in case of any snakes sleeping in the high grass. Getting his foot caught on a root, he stumbled out of the grass cursing. Mokona gave him a confused look from where she sat by the graves.

Sighing, Kurogane walked over and scooped her up into his arms. She purred, butting her head against his jaw.

“You can’t run off like that. Fai’s going to kill me if you get hurt.”

He glanced towards the graves. The sun hit them right on, making the stones glimmer. Holding Mokona tight, as to not let her slip away, he ripped away moss that had begun to form on them.

“Sorry I haven’t taken proper care of you lately.” Carefully, he sat down in front of them. He pet Mokona softly, making sure she stayed in his grasp. “You would have liked Mokona,” he said to Tomoyo’s grave, a small smile playing on his face.

She would have been delighted at having a little cat to play with, to liven up the house. She would have insisted on making clothes for Mokona, blaming the weather but really being delighted to have something to make cute clothes for. Mokona would have loved her too. Animals always did; Yukito had once said animals could sense a good person, so that must have been it.

“You don’t have to worry about me, by the way, in case you do. I know you feared I would be lonely, and yeah okay I was but…” He rubbed a hand over his face, and Mokona took the opportunity to try and catch it. “As you can see, I’m not. Ouch.” He had to smile as he pried the cat from his hand, even though her claws dug into his skin.

“And Fai’s…” He trailed off again, not sure what to say. “An idiot,” he settled for. “Definitely an idiot. What am I going to do with him?”

The little glade was quiet around him, and Kurogane sighed, wanting to punch himself for his own stupidity. “What am I doing?” He muttered to himself. “Asking for advice from a grave.”

A gust of wind blew past, blowing leaves over him. It was probably his imagination, but he could have sworn he heard Tomoyo’s laughter in the wind. Her laughter never held malice; she’d laugh and shake her head with an affectionate slime on her face, and tell Kurogane he was an idiot. She always told him to stop being so serious and strict. Things would work out in the end; she used to say.

Mokona began to wiggle in his arms, trying to break free. Ignoring the sharp claws digging into his arms, he stood and took one last look at the graves.

“I’ll come back and make sure to take care of you properly,” he promised them. When he got back to the house, he had several scratches on his arms, but a safe kitten inside. He sat down with Mokona down on the couch and waited for when, or perhaps if, Fai would be back.

~~~

“Hey,” Fai called, sticking his head through the door. He had black stripes of mud or coal all over his face and in his hair. “Is it okay for you to make dinner again? I think Felicity’s shoe came off during the ride back home and I want to check up on it.”

Kurogane closed his comic with a shrug. He bit back the ‘can you at least be subtle about avoiding me’, hanging from the tip of his tongue. “Sure. Check up on Clementine’s shoes while you’re at it.”

“If I get crushed that’s entirely on you, Kuro-chan!” Fai’s too high pitched sing-song call echoed in the apartment, followed by the slam of the front door.

Kurogane threw the comic towards the table with more force than intended. An empty metal candlestick got swept off with it. It crashed onto the floor, making Mokona leap from the couch hissing. Grumbling, Kurogane picked them up and stopped himself from slamming them down into the table and scaring Mokona again.

“Sorry,” he sighed. Mokona glared up at him but settled down on the couch again. Kurogane hit his head on the way into the pantry and almost took it out on an innocent jar of pickles. Just before throwing it off the shelf, he stopped, taking a deep breath. He was angry with Fai, not the poor pickle jar. Or Mokona, for that matter, who would have a heart attack if he threw the jar off the shelf.

He tried to focus his thoughts on something else while cooking. Tomorrow he’d find some nice flowers to plant by the graves. The dead too deserved respect and to have their places of rest taken care of. Maybe he could move those purple flowers that grew by the apple trees. He could never remember what they were called. They were one of Tomoyo’s favourites.

Tomoyo would have told him to talk to Fai. She would have noticed something was wrong, corner him somewhere he couldn’t escape and ask. Most of the time she had done it, she had already known what was wrong. When he finally admitted it, she’d look at him with eyes that could see through any layer of armour and ask him if he’d tried to solve it.

_ Have you talked to him? Do you know what he’s thinking? Does he know what you’re thinking? _

Then, of course, her concerned frown would have been replaced by a wicked grin. And she would have told him it’s not like him to be so preoccupied over something. Ask him just how gone he is on this guy because really, it’s she’s never seen him like this.

“Smells good.”

Fai’s voice behind him almost made him drop the spoon. Kurogane glanced over his shoulder, and Fai’s smile shone right back up at him.

“Thanks,” he muttered, turning back to the stove. For a moment he thought Fai would lean his head against his shoulder. He could feel Fai’s breath hanging close to it. Then suddenly, the warmth of Fai’s body disappeared, and Kurogane heard him cheerfully calling for Mokona.

“By the way,” Fai spoke up, trying to untangle Mokona’s claw from his sleeve. “Do we have any spare bandages? Most of the medical supplies at Clow farm got destroyed.”

“I don’t know,” Kurogane answered, stirring in the pot. “Check the box, get them what they need if we can spare it. It’ll be more difficult to get now the town is gone.”

“Got it,” Fai said, pushing himself off the floor and disappearing out of the kitchen whistling. Kurogane rubbed his temples, somewhat glad to be alone again. 

He stayed silent as they ate, watching Fai coo over Mokona. They’d begun to allow her to sit on the third chair at the table, something she seemed to love. She sat proudly in it, happy to be a part of their dinners properly. Fai spared Kurogane a few glances during the dinner. It wasn’t that he never looked over, but he spent almost all of the time looking at Mokona. And the cooing really got on Kurogane’s nerves. It crawled under his skin and stung in his ears. He had had enough of it. He dropped his spoon into the plate, making both Fai and Mokona jump. Fai looked over, a reluctant smile on his face.

“Okay, seriously,” Kurogane leaned forward. Fai leaned away. “What’s up with you?”

“Nothing!” Fai said, voice so coated with sugar it could give a man diabetes.

“Don’t give me that crap.” He fixed Fai with a glare, and for a second, uncertainty flashed over Fai’s eyes. Then his mask came up again. “You’re avoiding me, and you’re acting even more like an idiot than normal. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“There’s been so much to do,” Fai tried, the underlying tone of desperation in his voice betraying him.

“Bullshit. You don’t even believe that yourself.”

Fai looked away, silent. Kurogane took it as a sign to continue. Irritating began to crawl under his skin again, threading to surface any minute.

“Why can’t you at least admit you’re avoiding me? And tell me what the hell I’ve done to deserve this kind of treatment?”

Fai flinched as if Kurogane had hit him. His gaze flickered between Kurogane and out the window. He leaned back, as if ready to physically bolt at any second. He pressed his lips tightly together, shaking his head.

“Is it really this easy for you to shut me out and ignore our life and what we have here?”

He may have raised his voice too much. Fai didn’t answer, just stared down to the floor. After what felt like years of silence, Fai shook his head.

“I’m going to bed,” he said, walking away before Kurogane has a chance to respond.

~~~

He woke up to a sudden pressure on his chest. Sitting up, he almost threw Mokona off the bed. He caught her before she fell, but she still glared up on him as he sat her down on his lap.

“What?” He muttered, rubbing his eyes. “Why are you here? Shouldn't you still be sleeping with Fai?”

He looked out in the hallway and felt his heart skip a beat. The hallway was dark, except for a faint light. The door to Fai’s room wasn’t closed. Rapidly pushing himself up and off the bed, he almost threw Mokona off it again.

He didn’t bother to lace up his shoes and regretted it instantly when he almost tripped running out the door. A candle was lit in the stable, shining through the holes between the planks in the door. Everything was pitch black and quiet except for the wind rustling in the trees. His shoes sank into the muddy ground, and he hoped he wouldn’t get his foot caught on something in the darkness.

Fai didn’t turn when Kurogane wretched the stable doors open. He carried on slowly combing Felicity’s mane. The candle on the floor cast a spooky shadow over the horse. By Fai’s feet was a rucksack.

“You’re leaving.”

Fai stopped combing Felicity’s mane. For a second, he stood there, back still turned away. When he turned, he didn’t meet Kurogane’s gaze, looking down onto the floor.

“Yes.”

It didn’t matter that Kurogane already knew it; it still stung when Fai said it. Fai sighed and looked up from the floor. He pushed hair away from his face, but still didn’t meet Kurogane’s eyes.

“Or rather, I was going to.”

“Why?” He didn’t need to know Fai to see how uncomfortable that question made him. Kurogane waited. Fai kept pushing hair out of his face even though it wasn’t necessary.

“Because I freaked out. I freaked myself out, I mean. This whole thing with the dam and all…” Fai’s voice wavered slightly. “I didn’t think I’d have to experience that again and thinking you’d...you know…” Fai’s voice got stuck in his throat and he gestured vaguely towards Kurogane and the horses.

“And I don’t know, I saw Clementine and for some reason, I just couldn’t do it. Leave, I mean. I mean I get that you probably don’t want me to now anyway, but-“

“Do you want to stay?” Kurogane cut in and Fai froze mid-sentence, staring at Kurogane in disbelief.

“Why,” Fai began, voice barely a whisper, “would you ask me that?”

Kurogane clicked his tongue. “Isn’t it obvious? I want you to stay.”

Fai’s breath hitched. Still staring wide-eyed at Kurogane, he slowly shook his head. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, you idiot. I literally just said it. Now, do you want to stay with me?”

“I…” Fai stopped, taking a deep breath. He looked up, a hint of a soft smile playing on his lips. “Yes. Of course.”

“Good. That’s all I need to hear.” He held his hand out towards Fai. “Come inside now.”

Fai hesitates a second, but then slowly extends his hand to take Kurogane’s. Neither spoke as they walked back into the house.

Fai remained silent as Kurogane started up a fire. They crammed together on the couch; their legs got a bit intertwined, but it worked. Mokona had settled in Fai’s lap. She purred, seeming happy with both the warmth of the fire and the attention she was getting from Fai.

“About what I said in the stable…” Fai began, and trailed off, not taking his eyes off Mokona.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“I know. You deserve to know, though. Part of it at least.” Fai fiddled with the hem of his sleeve. “My hometown was destroyed by a dam breaking. My sister and I were the only survivors.”

”When I thought you’d died back then…” Fai shook his head. “I panicked. And I just… Chii got an infected wound and died. I promised myself I wouldn’t let anybody as close. And then I met you and suddenly I was living here and then the dam broke and-“ Fai paused, taking a deep breath.

“It was like I was fifteen all over again, and it terrified me.” Fai finally looked up at him. “You told me when I first moved here, that you, and I quote-” he said with a small smile “-give a fuck about my past and what I’ve done. But I can’t really let it go; it’s a part of me.”

“I know. But listen,” he leaned forward and captured Fai’s hands, prying them away from the sleeves he was tearing. “You’re important to me, alright?” He had to duck his head to hold Fai’s gaze when Fai looked down again. “And I’m not going to disappear.”

Fai snorted, shaking his head. “That’s not really something you can promise, Kuro-sama.”

“You make it sound like I wouldn’t punch death in the face if he tried anything funny.”

Fai laughed, loud and genuine this time. “You would,” he agreed with a smile. “I’m sorry for the way I reacted.”

“You’re here now, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“So that’s what matters.”

Fai exhaled, relaxing. He leaned forward, resting his head on Kurogane’s collarbone.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Kurogane wrapped his arms around Fai and for a while, they just stayed like that. Fai soon began complaining about his neck hurting, sliding down to drape himself over the back of the couch. And slowly they began to shift on the couch until they were both lying down. Fai splayed out on top of Kurogane and Mokona deciding all spare space was her space, attempting to lay down on both their faces at once. Spitting out cat hair and cursing, Kurogane pushed Mokona away, so she laid on his chest instead. Fai earned a light smack on the head for laughing.

The fire died out, and the sun hadn’t yet begun to set. Fai’s laughter died down and comfortable silence settled in the room. Mokona’s low purrs were the only source of sound. Playing gently with Fai’s hair, Kurogane felt Fai relax against him. Soon, soft snores joined Mokona’s purrs. Kurogane smiled to himself, letting go of Fai’s hair not to risk waking him up. He allowed himself to relax too and before he knew it, he was asleep.

~~~

Sunlight hitting him right in the eyes woke him up. His left arm was fast asleep when he tried to move it to rub his eyes and he almost smacked himself in the face. Grumbling, he tried to stretch and wondered why his body hurt like hell. Blinking his eyes open, shielding them from the harsh light, he looked around. Oh right. He’d fallen asleep on the couch with Fai.

He sat up so quickly he almost blacked out. Fai wasn’t there.

“Kuro-sama?”

Fai sat with his legs crossed on the floor by Mokona’s bowl. Kurogane felt relief wash over him, but Fai had already seen his worried expression. Sighing, he pushed himself to his feet.

“Sorry,” he said, leaning on the back of the couch. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I woke up because  _ someone _ -“ he gave Kurogane a look “-was laying on my leg and it had fallen asleep.” A grin played in the corner of his mouth and Kurogane rolled his eyes. Fai nodded towards Mokona, happily chewing at her food. “Then this young lady noticed I was awake and demanded I give her breakfast.”

Snorting, Kurogane pushed himself off the couch. “And I’m guessing now that I’m awake, you’re gonna demand I give you breakfast?”

“Spot on! You know me so well, Kuro-dear.”

“You’re so lazy.”

Fai just laughed and disappeared into the pantry, calling out that  _ fine _ , he’d help out too. His butchered whistles echoed from it, and despite how terrible it sounded, Kurogane had to bite back a smile.

Fai was silent when eating. It was never a good sign. He looked nervous, anxious. Kurogane wanted to ask, but something told him to wait. See what Fai was nervous about, give him space and silence to talk.

“Okay,” Fai straightened up, setting his mug down. “What do you say we take a look at the stable? Finish things up?” Although he did his best to hide it, a hint of anxiety slipped through in his voice. Kurogane suppressed a sigh that would have made Fai even more anxious. Even today Fai worried he was mad at him for ditching and avoiding him.

“Sounds like a good idea,” he said instead and watched Fai’s shoulders drop as he relaxed. “The ceiling needs fixing, and we need to get new hay. I don’t remember if I told you, but it was destroyed after the rain.”

“Makes sense,” Fai nodded. “Is the ceiling a full-day project?”

Kurogane paused, thinking back to it, and shook his head. “I don’t think so, no.”

“Good.” Fai glanced down in his mug, drinking up the last of his tea. “Then we can go together to get the hay.”

Kurogane blinked. “I thought…”

“I was going to suggest one of us fix the ceiling?” Fai finished for him, smiling. “Nah. I-” he paused, clearing his throat “-I figured it would be nice to work together, you know?” He looked down into the table as he spoke, glancing up to Kurogane to see his reaction.

“Yeah. I think that sounds good too.”

~~~

“I met Subaru at Clow farm by the way,” Fai suddenly said. Kurogane looked up from the hay, shielding his eyes from the sun. The sun was merciless out on the open field.

“I forgot about it because...well, you know. He and Touya are going into town tomorrow to check the damage. Subaru’s worried old chemicals and toxins have gotten washed up by the flood.”

“Toxic waste in and under the buildings?” Kurogane frowned and Fai nodded. “That could contaminate the water.”

“Exactly. Subaru said most known toxic waste was sealed away in a secured underground bunker. They’re going to check if it’s cracked.”

Kurogane felt a sour taste in his mouth. Radioactive or chemical waste could make their water undrinkable if it reached the underground water connected to their well. Perhaps it already had.

“What’s wrong?” Kurogane startled, realising he had frozen in place. Fai had stopped working, standing upright with a bunch of hay in his arms. Sighing, Kurogane stood up straight too, wiping sweat from his forehead.

“Let’s get some water.”

Getting in under the shadows was a blessing. The horses eyed them curiously as they collapsed down on the ground under the trees. They’d brought multiple bottles of water, but it still felt like they couldn’t drink enough.

“I think I told you my mom died from an illness,” Kurogane began, and Fai nodded slowly. “She got it after drinking contaminated water. I was a kid, so I don’t remember what contaminated it but…” He shrugged. “It wasn’t pretty.”

“I’m sorry,” Fai said softly.

“Not your fault. Do you know when they’re leaving tomorrow?”

“Late afternoon, I think. You want to go with them.”

Kurogane nodded and was about to ask if Fai was fine with it when Fai leaned forward, a gentle smile on his face.

“I figured as much. I think it’s good. You can check for yourself, be sure about it.”

“Thank you.”

Fai placed a hand on Kurogane’s shoulder, only to immediately remove it. “I was going to say of course but oh my god- you’re  _ so  _ warm and sweaty.” Suddenly there was a mischievous gleam in Fai’s eyes. “We wouldn’t want you to overheat,” he said and dumped the last of his water over Kurogane’s head.

The water was by no means ice-cold, but it still gave him a small shock when it hit him. Fai’s laughter echoed over the field, only increasing when Kurogane made a grab for him. The cold was quite welcome in the heat; the wetness was not. Fai hurried to his feet when he saw Kurogane reach for his own bottle. He grinned as he chased Fai, even when the idiot easily danced out of his grip.

Finally he managed to get a hold on Fai, who in his attempt to get away when Kurogane poured the water over him, managed to trip them both over.

“Serves you right,” Kurogane grinned, pinning Fai to the ground. Fai, still laughing, did his best to wipe the water away from his face. His laughter began to die down, but then it bubbled up again over and over. Eventually it died down for real, and Fai looked up at him, chest still heaving from laughing and running. The position they were in hit Kurogane. He was more or less straddling Fai, pinning him to the ground. The look in Fai’s eyes was strange, new. He looked like he was waiting to see what Kurogane would do, which was dumb because Kurogane had absolutely no idea what to do. If he leaned forward… Kurogane abruptly pushed himself off him.

“Let’s finish this up.” He extended a hand towards Fai, who for a second just blinked at him, unsure of what had just happened. Then he took Kurogane’s hand and let himself be dragged to his feet.

They finished loading the hay onto the wagon and were about to get up on their horses when Fai stopped, crouching down by Felicity’s leg.

“What’s wrong?” Kurogane asked, already up on Clementine. Fai carefully put a hand on Felicity’s hoof.

“It’s warm,” Fai said as he stood. “I thought I noticed her limping so I decided to check.”

“Is it the same one as the one she injured?”

Fai nodded, and without really thinking, Kurogane extended a hand towards him. “Get up here.”

Fai stared at him. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“I… I mean, yes but…” Fai gestured towards Clementine. “Can she carry both of us  _ and  _ the wagon?”

“The wagon weighs nothing, and neither do you. She can literally carry several tons. Trust me,” he added when Fai still looked sceptical. “She can carry us and the wagon the ten minutes the ride home takes.”

“Fine,” Fai sighed, taking Kurogane’s hand to jump up. “I’m sorry dear,” he muttered, patting Clementine.”

Thin arms loosely wrapped themselves around Kurogane’s waist, barely touching him. Kurogane rolled his eyes, even though Fai couldn’t see it.

“I won’t die if you hold on to me, you know,” he said, looking over his shoulder at Fai’s uncertain expression. “You, however, might die if you don’t.”

“How caring.” Fai wrapped his arms tighter around Kurogane.

“I’d rather not have to drag your dead body home. Such a bother.”

“How cold!” Fai exclaimed dramatically, and Kurogane couldn’t help but roll his eyes again. “And here I thought you cared about me.”

“I swear I’ll throw you off this horse.”

“Hmm. But then you’ll have to drag my dead body home, Kuro-sama.” Kurogane didn’t need to turn around to know Fai was grinning like a mad man. “Such a bother.”

“Why do I put up with you?”

“Because I’m adorable?” Fan leaned his head on Kurogane’s shoulder, looking up at him with bright eyes. Kurogane snorted.

“Mokona is adorable. You are…”  _ Stunning. Beautiful. _ “A fucking dumbass.”

“Not mutually exclusive, Kuro-sama.” Fai poked his cheek. “I can be adorable and a dumbass.”

“At least you admit you’re a dumbass.”

~~~

“It looks okay.” Relief was evident in Subaru’s voice, shouting up through the opening. “There aren’t any cracks from what I can tell.”

Relief washed over Kurogane as well. Beside him, Touya seemed to relax too, dropping his stiff posture. Subaru extended the lantern through the small hole and waited for Kurogane to grab it before squeezing himself through it.

“You’d think they’d made something a grown man could get through,” he muttered, brushing dirt and dust off his jacket. “But yeah. No cracks. You guys didn’t find anything suspicious above ground?”

Kurogane and Touya shook their heads.

“No,” Touya said, gesturing towards the ground. “The ground looks okay. It doesn’t look like there have been any collapses anywhere.”

“Good.” Subaru brushed even more dirt from his hair. “From what I know, that’s the only bunker. I guess there might be traces of toxins in the house but…” He shrugged.

“We can’t really check that,” Kurogane filled in, and Subaru nodded.

“If it’s just traces it might be so little it’s harmless,” Touya said. They began walking away towards their horses. “Should be, in fact.”

“Yeah,” Kurogane agreed. Clementine towered over the other horses. Kurogane was used to riding with Fai on Felicity, but it still felt weird riding and talking to other people when they were so far down.

Touya had spotted coywolves closer to town than usual, even with the heat that had preceded the flood. Yukito believed their territory might have flooded as well.

“He told me not to leave without a rifle, hence this.” Touya nodded towards the weapon on his shoulder. “If they’re really without a territory they might not have enough prey either and get more aggressive.”

Subaru voiced his concern for their sheep, and they discussed the possibility of building new fences. Syaoran and Sakura were trying to extend the fences on Clow farm both above and below ground. Before Touya rode off the main road to get home, he promised them both he would send Sakura up with jam the day after. She could help Subaru take a look at their fence too.

Kurogane bid Subaru goodbye soon after, also promising to stop by him and his sister when they could. The sound of running water and clinking porcelain greeted him when he stepped into the house. Mokona was sleeping under the kitchen table, curled into a tiny ball of fluff. Fai back was tense, his movements stiff.

“Hey,” Kurogane called as he stepped into the kitchen.

“Welcome home Kuro-sama,” Fai said, back still turned to him, washing the dishes.

“Are you okay?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You seem tense.” He waited for Fai to respond. When he didn’t, Kurogane continued. “Did me going into town worry you?”

Fai stilled, then burst out laughing. He turned, putting the mug by the sink. “How do you  _ do  _ that? How do you always know what I’m thinking? No, seriously, did you get superpowers or something, like Spider-Man or whatever that hero is called in the comics you read, because that would be cool…”

“Fai,” Kurogane cut in, “you’re steering away from the subject.”

“Right. Sorry.” Fai sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Yes. It worried me. Sorry.”

“Stop apologising.”

“Sorry, I...” He stopped when Kurogane raised his eyebrows at him. “S- right.” Fai snorted, like he found the whole thing amusing. “I don’t know what to say if I don't apologise.”

“Look,” Kurogane held out a hand. Fai hesitated a second, but sat down at the table, taking his hand. “You don’t need to apologise for being scared and upset about things connected to a traumatic situation.” Fai leaned back, looking like he wanted to argue. “When I moved here-” Kurogane continued before Fai could argue “-I was scared every time my cousin drank water, that she would catch the same illness as my mother. It takes time.”

“Yeah but… What if I get like this every time something like this happens? I can’t ask you to never leave the house.”

“Then we’ll figure out ways to deal with it,” Kurogane shrugged. “You can come with me if it makes you less anxious, or we can decide a time I should be home. We’ll figure it out. Together.”

Fai stared at him, mouth slightly open. He closed it slowly, giving a small but genuine smile. “Okay.” He squeezed Kurogane’s hand. They sat in silence for a while, Fai playing with Kurogane’s hand. When he looked up, he looked a little to the side, out the window. Standing, he dragged Kurogane with him to his feet. The same small, genuine smile from before still played on his lips.

“It’s late. Let’s make dinner.”

They spent cooking and dinner with easy talk and banter. A comfortable feeling settled in Kurogane’s stomach. It felt safe and secure. Like they’d settled down, at peace with themselves and in their home.

Mokona tried to steal their fish at dinner, and Kurogane had to scold Fai when he gave in and gave her some. Fai just laughed, telling him Mokona sat with them at the table anyway, so what harm could it do?

They lit candles halfway through dinner, as it grew darker outside. Mokona saw and took the opportunity to steal more fish in the darkness.

For the first time in a long time, Fai was the first to yawn and announce he was going to bed. Kurogane did the same, watching Mokona stare at them from the couch.  _ Why are you both going to bed? _ She seemed to ask,  _ who’s going to stay up and play with me then? _

They both stopped in front of their respective room, hands hovering above the handles. The air thickened around them. Fai looked like he couldn’t decide if he was waiting for Kurogane to speak up or speak up himself. It would have been so easy to reach out a hand and ask Fai to come into his room instead. What came out instead was a meekly ‘good night’, and Kurogane was already inside his room when he heard Fai saying it back. He shut the door even though he knew Mokona would wake him up by yelling to be let in in the middle of the night. Throwing himself on his bed, he hoped Fai couldn’t hear his frustrated groans.

~~~

The knock on the stable door was barely audible. Sakura greeted them with a wide and beaming smile when they opened.

“May I come in?” She glanced down, seeing Mokona run towards her. With an excited squeal, she crouched down to greet her. “Oh my god, she’s adorable! Hi! You are so cute!”

“Isn’t she?” Fai chuckled, watching Mokona bumped her head against Sakura’s legs. She laughed, scratching Mokona behind her ear. The kitten purred loudly, happy with the attention.

Sakura stripped off her riding gloves to not get more dirt on Mokona. She shrugged off the bag over her shoulder, digging out two jars. Both were neatly tied with a decorative ribbon each and filled with jam.

“Here you go,” she said as she handed Fai the jars. Mokona made a sound of disapproval as Sakura stopped petting her. “Yukito and I made them yesterday. We got an insane number of berries off the bushes this year. They’re a bit up on the hill, surrounded by trees, so they survived the rain and the flood. We’ve been making a ton of jam.”

“They look great! Thank you, Sakura-chan. Say thanks to Yukito for us?”

“Of course! You guys didn’t need any help with a fence, right?”

“Nope.” Fai shook his head. “Unless the coywolves have started a fully plant-based diet, but that doesn’t seem too likely.”

Sakura laughed, shaking her head. “Not really. In that case…” She turned to Kurogane, fumbling with her hands. “Would it be okay if I went over to the graves, just to say hi and pay respect, I-“

“Kid,” Kurogane interrupted her with a sigh. She looked up with worried eyes. “You’re always welcome to do that. Anytime you want.”

“Thank you,” Sakura said with a small but warm smile. “I really appreciate it. I’ll let you know when I leave.”

She closed the door behind her without a sound. Her steps sounded against the gravel outside as she walked away.

“Somehow I’ve never really connected her and your cousin,” Fai spoke up next to him. He was holding the jars carefully, slightly away from his muddy shirt. “But they must be the same age?”

“Yeah.” Kurogane began assembling the tools on the floor. “They were best friends, even before I moved here. That kid’s mother passed in the same sickness that got Tomoyo and my aunt.” Fai bowed down assembling the tool too. He stayed quiet, giving Kurogane space to speak. “Almost wiped out all the people within a few miles. But yeah.” There were no other tools to pick up, so Kurogane was left with nothing to do while speaking. He dusted dried mud off his pants to have something to do. “That was just three years ago, so Sakura was…thirteen?”

“I see. I’m sorry, Kuro-sama. I would have liked to meet your cousin, she seemed like a good person.”

“Yeah. Yeah, she was.”  _ The greatest, in fact. “ _ You would have gotten along with her.”  _ Almost a bit too well. The teasing would never end. _ Still, he would be lying if he claimed he’d never wished for that; not only Tomoyo being alive, but her meeting Fai.

Sakura poked her head through the door, interrupting his thoughts. “I’ll be heading to the Sumeragi’s now. Thank you again, Kurogane-san,” she said, twirling a strand of hair with her finger. “As I said, it means a lot.”

Kurogane stepped forward to ruffle her hair. “Told you, kid. Any time.”

She giggled, pushing the messy hair out of her face. The smile stayed on her face as she waved and once again shut the door without a sound.

Fai giggled behind him, and Kurogane could all but feel the upcoming teasing radiating from him.

“If you call me daddy, I swear I’ll-“

“Well,” Fai said, laughter evident in his voice. He draped himself over Kurogane’s shoulder, mouth right next to his ear. “I wasn’t going to call you, daddy. I was going to say you’re  _ such _ a father.”

“That’s the same fucking thing!”

Fai laughed, pushing himself off and dancing away. “I’ll head inside with these.” He held up the jars and disappeared out the door, still laughing. Kurogane looked after him, shaking his head.

Clementine snorted behind him, almost as if she was laughing at him. Kurogane turned to glare at her.

“What are you staring at?”

Clementine blinked at him, and Kurogane might be wrong, but she looked amused.

~~~

“What are you reading?”

Kurogane looked up, finding Fai in front of him with two bowls in his hands. He held up the comic, waving it in front of Fai.

“You ask that like we have a whole bloody library to choose from. Same old.”

“Hmm, good point,” Fai said, setting the bowls down on the kitchen. He slid down onto the couch next to Kurogane, leaning against his arm. “Too bad about the old library in town. It’ll be difficult to find new books.”

“Yeah. What’s that?” He pointed to the bowls, and Fai beamed.

“I took the jam Sakura-chan gave us and mixed it with cream I whipped. I tried to chill it but-“ Fai shrugged “-it didn’t really work.”

Kurogane eyed the not ice-ice cream suspiciously and bit back a comment about it looking like diabetes personified. But fine, Fai was happy about it so he would try it.

He had to bite his lip to not grimace at the sweetness. Fai picked up on it anyway, laughing and poking him in the cheek.

“Still not a fan of sweets, huh,” he grinned. “That’s okay. More for me!”

Kurogane snorted, shaking his head. A small smile tugged at his lips, watching Fai enthusiastically attack the bowl. Fai stopped, spoon in his mouth, looking up at Kurogane.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Is there something on my face?” Fai rubbed his nose, and Kurogane snorted.

“You were staring just at me.” Fai pointed his spoon accusingly at Kurogane, a smile tugging on his lips.

“I wasn’t.”

“You were!” Fai put the bowl away, hanging onto Kurogane’s arm. “You totally were,” he grinned, leaning closer until he was way into Kurogane's personal space.

“Nope,” Kurogane said but didn’t even bother to make it sound convincing.

“Just admit it.”

“It would never happen,” Kurogane grinned, and Fai, face so close to Kurogane’s that their noses almost touched, rolled his eyes.

“Oh, really?” Fai mumbled, laughter barely concealed. “Are you sure about that?” His lips brushed against Kurogane’s when he spoke, sending jolts of electricity through Kurogane. Fai’s hand had found its way up to Kurogane’s collarbone.

“Oh shut up already,” Kurogane mumbled back and closed the distance between them.

Fai smiled against his lips and kissed him back, slowly and softly. There was no heat, nor push from either of them to go any further; just slow, comfortable kissing. It felt safe, like coming home. Fai’s hand had found its way to the nape of Kurogane’s neck, pulling him close. Kurogane trailed one hand up into Fai’s hair, gently playing with a stray lock of hair. Fai grabbed a hold on Kirogane’s shirt and dragged him down until he was lying on top of Fai on the couch.

A loud meow startled them both, pulling away from each other. Fai held a finger against Kurogane’s lips to silence him, grinning.

“If we’re really quiet-“ he whispered “-she might not notice us.”

A triumphant meow and a kitten jumping right on his face proved Fai wrong. Laughing, Kurogane pushes himself up, taking Mokona in his lap. Grinning, Fai sat up too.

“Aren’t we paying enough attention to you? Do you feel neglected?” He scratched her behind her ear, giggling. Mokona purred, rubbing her head against Fai’s hand.

“It’s like having a baby. What an attention seeker,” Kurogane muttered, making Fai laugh again. He leaned back again, kissing Kurogane’s cheek.

“Jealous?” Laughter coated his voice, and Kurogane rolled his eyes.

“Of a cat? Only you could say something like that.” He felt Fai’s grin when he kissed Kurogane on the cheek again. Fai settled down, leaning his head on Kurogane’s shoulder. Mokona laid down in Fai’s lap, stretching out and yawning. Smiling, Kurogane wrapped his arm around Fai and kissed him on the top of his head.

_ I love you. _

**Author's Note:**

> You know, Kurogane and Fai spend a lot of time working on both the stable and their relationship. So in the beginning, you could say everything was a bit...heh...unstable (I am so sorry)
> 
> If you’re reading this before September 18th 2020, please consider voting in the Olympics going on over at [Dreamwidth](https://kurofai.dreamwidth.org/)! Also, check out everyone else’s fics for it!


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